The present invention relates to a thin connector, in particular, to a substrate-to-substrate connector comprising a first connector having a flat plate shape and a second connector having a flat plate shape superimposed on and fitted with each other in a fitting plane.
As a connector of this type, for example, JP 2012-226977 A discloses a connector as illustrated in FIG. 18. The connector comprises a receptacle 2 mounted on a first substrate 1 and a plug 4 (not shown) mounted on a second substrate 3. In the receptacle 2, a plurality of receptacle contacts 5 having spring characteristics are formed to be arrayed as illustrated in FIG. 19, and in the plug 4, protruding plug contacts 6 are formed to be arrayed as illustrated in FIG. 20.
Each of the receptacle contacts 5 has a main arm portion 5a curved so as to form inside thereof an opening portion S, an auxiliary arm portion 5b provided so as to face the main arm portion 5a, and a projection portion 5c provided in the vicinity of the tip end of the main arm portion 5a and the tip end of the auxiliary arm portion 5b, as illustrated in FIG. 21. The opening portion S is to receive the plug contact 6.
As illustrated in FIG. 22, upon superimposing the plug 4 on the receptacle 2, the protruding plug contacts 6 of the plug 4 are inserted into the opening portions S of the corresponding receptacle contacts 5, and in this state, the plug 4 mounted on the second substrate 3 is slid in the direction of the arrow C with respect to the receptacle 2 mounted on the first substrate 1 as illustrated in FIG. 23, whereby each of the protruding plug contacts 6 of the plug 4 moves as having its side surface kept in contact with the main arm portion 5a over the whole length thereof and is elastically caught among the tip end of the main arm portion 5a, the tip end of the auxiliary arm portion 5b and the projection portion 5c. Thus, the receptacle 2 and the plug 4 are fitted with each other, and the receptacle contacts 5 and the plug contacts 6 are electrically connected in this manner.
As above, having the protruding plug contacts 6 of the plug 4 inserted in the opening portions S formed in the receptacle contacts 5 of the receptacle 2, the receptacle 2 and the plug 4 are relatively slid so as to be fitted with each other. Hence, each of the receptacle contacts 5 has to necessarily have the opening portion S for receiving the protruding plug contact 6 and also a space capable of absorbing displacements of the main arm portion 5a and the auxiliary arm portion 5b caused by elastic deformation thereof in accordance with movement of the plug contact 6. Accordingly, reduction in size of the receptacle contact 5 has been limited, and it has been difficult to narrow the arrangement pitch of the receptacle contacts 5.
Moreover, in order to form the opening portion S inside the receptacle contact 5, the processing dimension, the arrangement pitch of the receptacle contacts 5, the width of the connector and the like are restricted. Hence, the freedom of design of the main arm portion 5a and the auxiliary arm portion 5b both having the spring characteristics in the receptacle contact 5 is small.